A consumer’s sweet spot is when a brand hit strikes resonant emotional chords with its targeted consumers. The average consumer is exposed to a plethora of marketing messages from brands a day and in order for a brand to cut through the clutter, its message has to be of emotional resonance. The Berries interviewed Andy Stalman, Managing Director of Totem Branding, to get his take on how to connect with a consumer’s sweet spot.
BB: Consumer insights are mostly referred to as the tiny motivations that prompt people to choose brands over others. In other words, they’re ‘breakthroughs’ for brands. How can brands generate shopper insights ?
AS: We must draw on data from multiple sources and analyze, and after understand the data, we have to transform data into value for the customers, details for the clients, improve their experience.
It’s the knowledge of why customers behave as they do that allows companies to be agile and adapt to meet customer demands.
Listening to the “voice of the customer” is importante but understanding their silence is as important.
Using a customer feedback solutions to provide your companies with a scientific method to conduct regular customer surveys, set consistent measurements, and report on progress over time. But not only, customers are really expecting more than just a transaction with the brand, they want to belong, to engage.
BB: A customer journey is not mapped by how customers feel at any given point in the journey but rather how they feel over the course of the entire journey. How can brands effectively evaluate their customer journeys ?
AS: Reality is that there´s more than one “customer journey”. Each customer can live many different journeys in one visit according to the overall offer that the brand create.
Apply analytics tools to tracking customers’ in-store behavior. Wi-Fi analytics tools let you capture information from customers who log into your Wi-Fi network, while beacon analytics tools let you capture information from customers who have your app installed on their smartphone. Big data without being converted into small details it will be bad data.
BB: It’s widely known, and too often forgotten, that brands stand or fall based on the customer experiences they create. How can brands make use of the consumer insights in enhancing their customer experiences ?
AS:
– Creating honest and authentic emotional connections.
– Focusing experiences based on consumer knowledge
– Human experiences are critically important.
– Blend of activities, online and offline, to engage.
The staff used to be the best brand ambassadors in the past, in this current time, they are the brand. They need to live, feel, share an breath the brand values.
BB: The moment your brand strikes an emotional chord that resonates with your target consumer’s internal sweet spot, is the moment your gains occur. Can you mention some ins and out on how brands can find out about their consumers’ sweet spot ?
AS: It just happens. When a brand is really focused on people, it´s really passionate on what they do, when they have a clear purpose and they impact improving people´s lives, that magic happens.
But it´s never enough to get “likes”, not even “buys”, when that occurred “love” between the customer and the brand appears.
BB: With the rise of e-commerce, big brands shouldn’t ignore the online sphere and work on mirroring a pleasant and empowered customer experiences in the cyber world. Can you shed some lights on how e-commerce has reshaped the way brands design customer experiences ?
AS: Reality is that also online born brands are embracing the physical space. Today brands that are not online and offline, will be out.
Regarding your question:
– It’s been a great catalyst for much needed change
– Transformation in every single industry.
– Created richer and more compelling experiences with new depth and diversity
– The rise of Retailtainment, lifestyle experiences.
Online sales are bringing an expansion area to offline sales, today´s client want to buy from anywhere, at anytime from every channel.
BB: With the rapid growth of multicultural customers all over the world and their unparalleled influence on the marketplace, brands should consider strategies that are inclusive to appeal to these critical consumers. Please comment
AS: Brands need to be focused in offer but ready to respond to Market changes and challenges. Brand agility is critical. We have been witnessing the commoditization of the world, where pretty much everything is alike. Remaining original, unique, embracing global without loosing the local touch, understanding that different is beautiful there ate chances to make the brand world shine bright again.
BB: As technology revolutionizes shopping, it’s creating a new consumer demographic, the one that’s always plugged in and ready to spend. Can you shed some lights on how should brands engage with this digital savvy consumer base ?
AS: Understanding the new role of brands in this digital age. It´s more than selling products or services. It´s about offering omnichannel experiences, understanding that companies and brands are people, clients and customers are people, so brands that do not understand people will not understand about business.
Key things to consider:
-Interaction in the off and on world activities which balance the two.
-Adaptive spaces
-Chatbots, IA, data into value
-Apps which enhance the journey
-Interactive experiences
-Human centric
The world that brands live in is rapidly changing. It is more important than ever for brands to innovate, engage and build loyalty with their audiences. Building a sense of connection, pride and belonging is at the core of what we do.
